Kevin Baconhttp://www.adweek.com/taxonomy/term/10389/all
enKevin Bacon Humorously Promotes Eggs Again, This Time by Singing With His Brotherhttp://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/kevin-bacon-humorously-promotes-eggs-again-time-singing-his-brother-170064
Patrick Coffee<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/2016_Mar/bacon-eggs-hed-2016.png"> <p>
Last year, the American Egg Board belatedly recognized that the best complement for eggs is bacon <a href="http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/kevin-bacon-does-ads-eggs-because-what-goes-better-eggs-bacon-163436" target="_blank">(actor Kevin Bacon, that is</a><a href="http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/kevin-bacon-does-ads-eggs-because-what-goes-better-eggs-bacon-163436" target="_blank">).</a></p>
<p>
But just as two heads (or in this case, eggs) are better than one, two Bacon brothers complete the meal in the newest Grey New York campaign for the American Egg Board.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
Bacon has long maintained a side career as one-half of the folk-rock duo The Bacon Brothers along with his brother Michael. In &quot;Wake Up to Eggs with the Bacon Brothers,&quot; the two show up at awkward moments in unsuspecting people&#39;s homes and sing the praises of eggs&mdash;with mixed results.</p>
<p>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="367" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9a9Ixfg2q1g" width="652"></iframe></p>
<p>
&quot;People really got a kick out of last year&#39;s campaign, and this year, we wanted to make it a Bacon Brothers effort,&quot; said Kevin Bacon. &quot;Who better to continue waking people up to eggs than the duo who knows and likes eggs best?&quot;</p>
<p>
Grey&#39;s 2015 effort for the board won a Cannes Lions in the PR category and, more importantly, boosted egg sales across the country.</p>
<p>
American Egg Board svp Kevin Burkum predicts similar results for its follow-up. &quot;The star power of Kevin and Michael Bacon helps bring the incredible egg back to our musical roots,&quot; he said, adding, &quot;This year marks the 40th anniversary of the American Egg Board, and with the long legacy and popularity of &#39;The Incredible, Edible Egg&#39; jingle, we believe this new campaign featuring the Bacon Brothers will be a hit.&quot;</p>
<p>
In addition to the video, which will run in 15- and 30-second spots on broadcast TV, the campaign includes egg-based recipes and factoids on <a href="http://www.incredibleegg.org/" target="_blank">IncredibleEgg.org</a> as well as print ads, digital placements and content on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/IncredibleEdibleEgg/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/IncredibleEggs" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/incredibleeggs/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/incredibleegg/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> to coincide with the annual spike in egg sales around Easter.</p>
<p>
&quot;It&#39;s an unexpected and clever way to promote the incredible, edible egg,&quot; Kevin Bacon said, &quot;and have a little fun with our name in the process.&quot;&nbsp;</p>
<div class="news-article-image" style="margin: 15px 0px 15px 15px; float: right;">
<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/2016_Mar/Bacon-Brothers-01-2016.png" /></div>
<p>
CREDITS</p>
<p>
Client: American Egg Board<br />
Title: &quot;Wake Up To Eggs with the Bacon Brothers&quot;<br />
Agency:&nbsp; Grey New York<br />
Chief Creative Officer: Andreas Dahlqvist<br />
Creative Directors: Ari Halper (Executive Creative Director), Steve Krauss (Executive Creative Director), Brad Mancuso (Group Creative Director), Brian Platt (Group Creative Director), Samira Ansari (Group Creative Director), Susan LaScala Wood (Creative Director)<br />
Art Director: Krish Karunanidhi<br />
Copywriter: Gordon Grout<br />
Project Manager: Jasmine Magana<br />
Account: Xavi de Borja (SVP, Account Director), Casey Potash (VP, Account Director), Ally Morrow (Assistant Account Executive)<br />
Activation &amp; PR: Amy Tunick (President), Michelle Overall (SVP, Talent, Licensing &amp; Casting)<br />
Agency Producer: Donna Stokes<br />
Production Company (location): Moxie Pictures (LA)<br />
Director: Martin Granger<br />
Director of Photography: Alar Kivilo<br />
Editor (person &amp; company): Alex Cohan / Vision Post<br />
Sound Design (person &amp; company): Dante Desole &amp; Matt Baker / Vision Post<br />
Agency Music Producer: Zach Pollakoff<br />
Music Production Company: Butter (NYC)<br />
Principal Talent: Kevin Bacon, Michael Bacon, Al Thompson, Sheria Irving, Michelle Merrick, Teo Rappolsson, Frank Deal, Alex Hernandez, Samuel Smith<br />
Agency Art Buyer: Sarah Guidotti<br />
Photographer: David Johnson<br />
Colorist: Chris Ryan</p>
Advertising & BrandingFood & BeverageAmerican Egg BoardGrey New YorkKevin BaconTue, 08 Mar 2016 20:24:55 +0000170064 at http://www.adweek.comKevin Bacon Does Ads for Eggs, Because What Goes Better With Eggs Than Bacon?http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/kevin-bacon-does-ads-eggs-because-what-goes-better-eggs-bacon-163436
Tim Nudd<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/blogs/bacon-eggs-hd-hed-2015.jpg"> <p>
Kevin Bacon has traded off the whole &quot;six degrees&quot; thing in ads for years. Now it&#39;s time to put the Bacon to work.</p>
<p>
And that he does in an amusing if obvious campaign from Grey New York promoting eggs on behalf of the American Egg Board. Because after all, nobody knows eggs better than bacon. Or Bacon.</p>
<p>
The online video gets surprisingly suggestive, as Kevin puts up with some heavy flirting from a married woman who discovers him just lying on her kitchen counter one morning. And the spot doesn&#39;t tire of puns, even though Kevin claims not to enjoy them.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="367" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/elUNFHEWaCc?rel=0" width="652"></iframe><br />
<br />
He does enjoy his eggs, however.</p>
<p>
&quot;With a last name like Bacon, I&#39;m the obvious choice, and I&#39;m excited to be a part of the new Incredible Edible Egg campaign,&quot; Bacon says in a statement. &quot;I like the creativity behind the idea, and I&#39;ve always been a big fan of eggs. They&#39;re a nutritional powerhouse and I never get tired of them because there are so many ways you can eat them.&quot;</p>
<p>
Per-capita egg consumption grew to 260 in 2014, an increase of more than a dozen over the last five years, according to the USDA. The celebrity ad campaign is designed to keep that momentum going.</p>
<p>
&quot;Kevin Bacon brings real star power to the world of eggs and we think consumers are going to love this clever new version of bacon and eggs,&quot; says Kevin Burkum, the American Egg Board&#39;s svp of marketing. &quot;And there&#39;s no better time to talk about eggs with consumption at its highest level in three decades and Easter right around the corner.&quot;</p>
<p>
See the print ad below.<br />
<br />
<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/uploads/eggs-and-Bacon.jpg" width="652" /><br />
<br />
<strong>CREDITS</strong><br />
Client: American Egg Board<br />
Spot: &quot;Side of Kevin&quot;<br />
Agency: Grey, New York<br />
Chief Creative Officers: Tor Myhren (Global), Andreas Dahlqvist (New York)<br />
Creative Directors: Ari Halper (Executive Creative Director), Steve Krauss (Executive Creative Director), Brad Mancuso, Susan LaScala Wood<br />
Art Directors: Jay Hunt, Pete Gosselin, Matt DeCoste<br />
Copywriters: Jay Hunt, Pete Gosselin<br />
Agency Producer: Perry Kornblum<br />
Production Company: Moxie Pictures<br />
Director: Martin Granger<br />
Director of Photography: Alar Kivilo<br />
Editor: Alex Cohan @ Vision Post<br />
Music, Sound Design: Matt Baker @ Vision Post<br />
Principal Talent: Kevin Bacon, Geneva Carr, Jeff Wiens</p>
Advertising & BrandingFood & BeverageAmerican Egg BoardCelebrity EndorsementsGreyKevin BaconCreativeAgencyThu, 12 Mar 2015 20:48:40 +0000163436 at http://www.adweek.comKevin Bacon's Brother Michael Does Ads for Turkey Bacon in Union of Less Famous Baconshttp://www.adweek.com/adfreak/kevin-bacons-brother-michael-does-ads-turkey-bacon-union-less-famous-bacons-157618
Tim Nudd<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/blogs/michael-bacon-hed-2014.png"> <p>
<a href="/node/141554">Brad Pitt&#39;s brother did it.</a> Now it&#39;s Kevin Bacon&#39;s brother&#39;s turn.</p>
<p>
Michael Bacon, the less famous of the Bacon brothers&mdash;though not entirely unknown, as he is one-half of The Bacon Brothers, the band&mdash;has signed up for <a href="http://www.unsungbacon.com/" target="_blank">an amusing campaign by Oscar Mayer</a> to advertise another less famous bacon: turkey bacon.</p>
<p>
The video below, from 360i, sets up the goal of the campaign, which is to get people to <a href="https://twitter.com/michaelbacon36" target="_blank">follow Michael on Twitter</a> and catch his more famous actor brother. (This will be a challenge. Kevin has about <a href="https://twitter.com/kevinbacon" target="_blank">431,000 followers.</a> Michael currently has about 1,300.)</p>
<p>
&quot;We really feel for Michael, and we want to support him as much as possible,&quot; says Tom Bick, senior director of integrated marketing and advertising at Oscar Mayer. &quot;You just have to embrace each one for its own individual qualities. And that&#39;s what we do with our entire line of bacon products&mdash;each one is spectacular, because it&#39;s made by the bacon experts at Oscar Mayer.&quot;</p>
<p>
Being used almost literally as a piece of meat doesn&#39;t seem to bother Michael, though. Good luck to him.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden" lang="en">
<p>
Fame- hope it&#39;s just like I&#39;ve been picturing it! That&#39;s why I&#39;m doing <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23UnsungBacon&amp;src=hash">#UnsungBacon</a> with <a href="https://twitter.com/oscarmayer">@oscarmayer</a> turkey bacon <a href="http://t.co/fFKgbxHqyO">http://t.co/fFKgbxHqyO</a></p>
&mdash; Michael Bacon (@MichaelBacon36) <a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelBacon36/statuses/465881939014987776">May 12, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><p>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="367" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/hlAoekTS-3o?rel=0" width="652"></iframe></p>
Advertising & BrandingFood & Beverage360iKevin BaconMichael BaconOscar MayerCreativeAgencyMon, 12 May 2014 17:07:13 +0000157618 at http://www.adweek.comFox Renews New Girl, The Mindy Project, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Followinghttp://www.adweek.com/news/television/fox-renews-new-girl-mindy-project-brooklyn-nine-nine-and-following-156196
Anthony Crupi<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/b99.jpeg"> <p>
Fox late Friday gave fans of its <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/decent-start-dads-brooklyn-nine-nine-152502" target="_blank">Tuesday night comedies</a> something to cheer about, announcing it has picked up the gloriously goofy, Golden Globe Award-winning ensemble <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/fox-gives-back-nine-order-brooklyn-nine-nine-153269" target="_blank">Brooklyn Nine-Nine</a> for a second season, while booking return engagements for veteran sitcoms New Girl and The Mindy Project.</p>
<p>
The network did not indicate exactly how many episodes of each series it has ordered, saying only that they all would be back on the schedule in the 2014-15 broadcast TV season.</p>
<p>
Also getting a new lease on life is the sophomore thriller <a href="http://www.fox.com/the-following/" target="_blank">The Following</a>.</p>
<p>
While none of the four shows is exactly a ratings giant (more on that in a moment), Fox entertainment chairman Kevin Reilly characterized them as &ldquo;core assets within our &hellip; portfolio of content,&rdquo; adding that the programs are &ldquo;some of the best and [most] acclaimed&rdquo; on TV.</p>
<p>
Fox cautioned that announcements on other pickups have yet to be made, but that will be of little solace to the cast of its 8 p.m. sitcom, Dads. Over the course of its 18-episode run, Seth MacFarlane&rsquo;s live-action comedy averaged just 3.51 million live-plus-same-day viewers and a 1.4 in the adults 18-49 demo.</p>
<p>
A newcomer with a far better shot at a renewal is J.J. Abrams&rsquo; futuristic cop show, Almost Human. Averaging 6.23 million viewers and a 1.9 in the dollar demo, Human may be worth risking another 13-episode arc.</p>
<p>
Fellow freshman Sleepy Hollow was picked up for a second season on Oct. 3, just three weeks after it premiered. It joins already-renewed Fox series Glee, Bones, <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/drinking-h-jon-benjamin-and-eugene-mirman-156179" target="_blank">Bob&rsquo;s Burgers</a> and The Simpsons on the safe list.</p>
<p>
If nothing else, picking up New Girl and Mindy would seem to suggest that Fox is going to take at least one last crack at a two-hour Tuesday comedy block. Still, space is going to be tight, as Fox already has commitments going forward with the likes of John Mulaney, Tina Fey and Will Forte.</p>
<p>
If New Girl&rsquo;s renewal seems like a no-brainer&mdash;with a full season order of at least 22 episodes, the show is syndication-ready&mdash;its ratings have been less than sharp. Season 3 is averaging 3.59 million viewers and a 1.8 in the demo, and while it remains Fox&rsquo;s highest-rated comedy, New Girl&rsquo;s glory days are far behind it. (The <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/fox-wins-tuesday-zooey-charm-offensive-135018" target="_blank">first season</a> of the Zooey Deschanel vehicle averaged 6.36 million viewers and a 3.2 rating; in other words, the show has lost 44 percent of its demo.)</p>
<p>
The Mindy Project is also slumping, averaging a 1.4 in the demo through the first 14 episodes of its second season. Luckily, the Mindy Kaling comedy draws one of Fox&rsquo;s <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/snobs-vs-slobs-fox-s-dads-connects-upper-crust-152531" target="_blank">more upscale audiences</a>.</p>
<p>
On the drama front, while Fox has a number of high-profile series in the mix for next year, including the Batman prequel Gotham and the Terrence Howard hip-hop potboiler Empire, Reilly and Co. deemed <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/s-so-raven-sneak-peek-following-s-transmedia-experiment-148563" target="_blank">The Following</a> a worthy candidate for at least a 13-epiosde order. After winning over viewers last spring with its macabre serial killer storyline (it tied NBC&rsquo;s Revolution as the top-rated new drama series of 2012-13), The Following has had a harder time scaring up support. In its Monday night time slot leading out of Almost Human, the Kevin Bacon kill-fest is down to a 1.8 in the demo.</p>
<p>
Fox will lay out its full prime-time broadcast schedule on the afternoon of May 12 when it kicks off its annual upfront presentation at New York&rsquo;s Beacon Theatre.</p>
Television2013-14 Broadcast TV SeasonAlmost HumanBob’s BurgersBonesBrooklyn Nine-NineDadsEmpireFoxGleeGolden GlobesGothamJohn MulaneyKevin BaconKevin ReillyMindy KalingNetworksNew GirlRatingsSleepy HollowThe FollowingThe Mindy ProjectThe SimpsonsTina FeyWill ForteZooey DeschanelSat, 08 Mar 2014 02:41:40 +0000156196 at http://www.adweek.comHow I Met Your Mother Turbocharges CBS’ Lineuphttp://www.adweek.com/news/television/how-i-met-your-mother-turbocharges-cbs-lineup-155293
Anthony Crupi<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/how-i-met-your-mother-hed-2014.jpg"> <p>
Episode No. 200 of <a href="http://www.cbs.com/shows/how_i_met_your_mother/" target="_blank">How I Met Your Mother</a> powered CBS&rsquo; entire Monday night lineup, as the nine-seasons-in-the-making origin story helped deliver the comedy&rsquo;s highest ratings in a year.</p>
<p>
According to Nielsen live-plus-same-day data, How Your Mother Met Me averaged 10.8 million viewers and a season-high 3.8 in the adults 18-49 demo. The overall deliveries were the HIMYM&rsquo;s most robust since the Feb. 4, 2013 episode averaged 10.3 million viewers and a 4.0 rating.</p>
<p>
Last night&rsquo;s episode revealed the Mother&rsquo;s catastrophic backstory and featured Cristin Milioti&rsquo;s ukulele-accompanied version of <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/la-vie-en-rose-from-how-i/id807234915" target="_blank">&ldquo;La Vie en Rose.&rdquo;</a> HIMYM will be shuttered for good on March 31, when CBS airs a special two-part series finale.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
After getting off to a fast start at 8 p.m., CBS kept pouring it on, as <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/fcc-complaints-never-fail-disappoint-154677" target="_blank">2 Broke Girls</a> notched a season-high 10.1 million viewers and a 3.0 rating and Mike &amp; Molly scared up 10.8 million viewers and a 2.6 in the demo.</p>
<p>
At 9:30 p.m., freshman sitcom <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/cbs-gives-full-season-orders-3-freshman-comedies-153266" target="_blank">Mom</a> served up its biggest audience since premiering on Sept. 23, averaging 9.58 million viewers. The episode&rsquo;s 2.4 rating was just one-tenth of a ratings point shy of the high notch in the series opener.</p>
<p>
Even the beleaguered 10 o&rsquo;clock drama Intelligence got a boost, drawing 6.84 million viewers and a 1.5 in the demo, up 36 percent from last week&rsquo;s 1.1 rating. (Intelligence also faced softer competition on the hour, as ABC countered with an encore presentation of Castle (1.4).</p>
<p>
Meanwhile, NBC&rsquo;s <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/voiceless-blacklist-drops-intelligence-plummets-154973" target="_blank">The Blacklist</a> drew 10.2 million viewers and a 2.5 in the dollar demo, marking an improvement of 9 percent versus last week&rsquo;s 2.3. Last night&rsquo;s installment is the last to air without leading out of The Voice; both shows return from hiatus on Feb. 24, the day after NBC wraps its coverage of the 2014 Winter Olympics.</p>
<p>
The only network to really take it on the chin Monday night was Fox, which posted disappointing numbers with the time slot premiere of The Following. After drawing a very promising 11.2 million viewers and a 4.4 in the demo <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/fox-preps-following-post-nfc-championship-game-slot-154074" target="_blank">after the NFC Championship Game</a>, the Kevin Bacon vehicle plummeted to series-low 6.02 million viewers and a 2.0 rating.</p>
<p>
Season 1 of The Following averaged 7.95 million viewers and a 2.6 rating leading out of Bones. While it&rsquo;s likely <a href="http://www.fox.com/the-following/" target="_blank">The Following</a> will improve somewhat upon the return of regular 8 p.m. occupant Almost Human&mdash;last night&rsquo;s installment followed a repeat of the Jan. 19 season premiere (1.1)&mdash;this was a rough outing for last season&rsquo;s biggest new hit.</p>
<p>
Through its first eight episodes, Almost Human is averaging 6.57 million viewers and a 2.0 rating.</p>
<p>
Season to date, NBC is leading the pack with an average 2.9 rating, flat versus the year-ago period. CBS is in second place with a 2.6 (down 7 percent), Fox is in the hunt with a 2.5 (flat) and ABC is down 9 percent with a 2.1.</p>
Television2 Broke Girls2013-14 Broadcast TV SeasonAbcAlmost HumanCastleCbsFoxHow I Met Your MotherIntelligenceKevin BaconMike & MollyMOMNbcNetworksNFC Championship GamePrime Time RatingsRatingsThe BlacklistThe FollowingThe VoiceTue, 28 Jan 2014 22:37:23 +0000155293 at http://www.adweek.comThe Following Star Kevin Bacon Stays Close to His N.Y. Rootshttp://www.adweek.com/news/television/following-star-kevin-bacon-stays-close-his-ny-roots-154889
Emma Bazilian<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/info-kevin-bacon-hed-2014.jpg"> <p>
<img alt="" src="/files/uploads/SPACER-652.gif" style="width: 10px; height: 1px; " /><br />
<u><strong>Specs</strong></u><br />
<strong>Who </strong>Kevin Bacon<br />
<strong>Age </strong>55<br />
<strong>Accomplishments</strong> Stars as Ryan Hardy on Fox&rsquo;s <a href="/node/154074">The Following</a> (<a href="/node/147694">Season 2 </a>preview airs Sunday, Jan. 19 after the NFC Championship Game); Golden Globe Award-winning actor; musician<br />
<strong>Base </strong>New York and Los Angeles<br />
<br />
<strong>What&rsquo;s the first information you consume in the morning?</strong><br />
I read The New York Times app or website. I like the regular dot-com better because the app is almost too homogenized. But there are certain things about the app that I also like, so I toggle back and forth between the two. And if I&rsquo;m in New York, I will also be listening to the morning show on <a href="http://www.ny1.com" target="_blank">NY1</a>, which I love. There&rsquo;s just something about Pat Kiernan. He&rsquo;s kind of hilarious.<br />
<br />
<strong>What are your go-to social platforms?</strong><br />
For social media, I use something called <a href="http://WhoSay.com" target="_blank">WhoSay</a>. It&rsquo;s more photo-centric, and it lets me simultaneously post to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and some Chinese sites.<br />
<br />
<strong>Where do you get your news?</strong><br />
My main news source is the PBS NewsHour. I really like it because it&rsquo;s truly nonpartisan reporting, which I don&rsquo;t really find on any of the other news outlets. It&rsquo;s a great show, and it hasn&rsquo;t become an entertainment outlet. I follow them on Twitter.<br />
<br />
<strong>What other shows do you watch on TV?</strong><br />
I like <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/16/homeland-season-4_n_4611318.html" target="_blank">Homeland</a>, The Killing, and I love<a href="http://www.bbcamerica.com/orphan-black/" target="_blank"> Orphan Black</a>&mdash;that has a spectacular performance by one actress playing nine characters. There&rsquo;s a British show that I recently got into called Broadchurch, which is great, and I like Sherlock and Luther.<br />
<br />
<strong>Are you a binge watcher?</strong><br />
Usually we only have the time or the energy after work to watch one episode of something. But every once in a while, I&rsquo;ll get into the binge-watching thing. I think the first show that I ever binged on was The Wire. I wasn&rsquo;t really hip to it when it first aired, and then I just went crazy and watched it over the course of a couple of weekends. It was so good. So good.<br />
<br />
<strong>How do you wind down before bed?</strong><br />
Electronic light isn&rsquo;t supposed to be good right before you go to bed. Although I don&rsquo;t have much of a problem with insomnia, sometimes [my wife Kyra Sedgwick] does, so we tend to put the electronic devices away at least half an hour before bed, and read a book.<br />
<br />
<strong>What&rsquo;s on your reading list right now?</strong><br />
I just finished a book that I really liked called <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/11/books/review/brewster-by-mark-slouka.html?_r=0" target="_blank">Brewster</a>. It&rsquo;s a really moving novel about friendship in the &lsquo;60s. I&rsquo;m also rereading a book called In Harm&rsquo;s Way, which is the story of a battleship that was sunk by a Japanese submarine in WWII and the guys floated in the water for four days before they were rescued. I&rsquo;m actually working on doing a miniseries based on it.<br />
<br />
<strong>Tell us about your favorite app. </strong><br />
I&rsquo;m in L.A. right now, and I just got an app called <a href="http://Waze.com" target="_blank">Waze</a> that&rsquo;s really great. It&rsquo;s sort of like a navigation slash social media app. The other one I use a lot is my Sirius app because I love Howard Stern. But I don&rsquo;t always have a car with Sirius, or I&rsquo;ll be walking the dog in the morning, so this lets me listen to Howard on my iPhone.</p>
Televisioninformation dietKevin BaconMagazine ContentNetworksNY1Pat KiernanPBS NewshourWhoSayFri, 17 Jan 2014 04:30:44 +0000154889 at http://www.adweek.comKevin Bacon Hams It Up in Plea for You to Shop Locally This Holidayhttp://www.adweek.com/adfreak/kevin-bacon-hams-it-plea-you-shop-locally-holiday-154383
Rebecca Cullers<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/blogs/kevin-bacon-shopping-hed-2013.jpg"> <p>
Kevin Bacon wants you to <a href="http://shiftyourshopping.org" target="_blank">&quot;Shift Your Shopping&quot;</a> for good by buying local with select retailers who agree to donate a portion of sales from your purchase to charity.</p>
<p>
The spot hinges on the pretense that Kevin Bacon is not actually Kevin Bacon but some sort of mustachioed goober named Melvin Macon, who seems to be filming a local commercial circa early &#39;80s, complete with inspiring gospel choir courtesy of the Brown Memorial Baptist Church. (You may recall Bacon playing another hirsute alter ego named Ivan Cobenk in <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP5QZNhGsF4" target="_blank">that amazing Logitech spot</a> a few years back.) And when he&#39;s not assaulting your eyeballs with nappy old PowerPoint backgrounds, Melvin is encouraging you to be a good citizen and give back to the world.</p>
<p>
The work was created pro bono by New York agency Walrus just in time for your holiday shopping spree. So, if squinting at the whirling yellow type at the bottom of the spot doesn&#39;t give you a seizure, pick one of those fine local retailers and run out to double your gifting impact. And don&#39;t forget to attach a <a href="https://causetown.org/media/pdfs/kevin-bacon-gift-tags.pdf" target="_blank">&quot;Kevin Bacon Approved&quot; gift tag.</a></p>
<p>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="367" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Ax5QOnVoZY0?rel=0" width="652"></iframe></p>
<!--break-->
<p>
<strong>CREDITS</strong><br />
Client: ShiftYourShopping.org<br />
Agency: Walrus, New York<br />
Creative Director: Deacon Webster<br />
Art Director/Copywriter: Tiffany McKee<br />
Producer: Valerie Hope<br />
Production Company: Mustache<br />
Director: Gavin Bellour<br />
Executive Producer: John Limotte<br />
Producer: Jennifer Kachler<br />
Editor/Graphics/Animation: Will Bystrov</p>
Advertising & BrandingHolidaysKevin BaconWalrusCreativeAgencyMon, 09 Dec 2013 14:22:37 +0000154383 at http://www.adweek.comThat’s So Raven: A Sneak Peek at The Following’s Transmedia Experimenthttp://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/s-so-raven-sneak-peek-following-s-transmedia-experiment-148563
Anthony Crupi<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/the-following-fox-01-2013.jpg"> <p>
Because even Poe-obsessed serial killers need friends, Fox is giving fans of its dastardly drama The Following a shot at buddying up with murder-happy mastermind Joe Carroll.</p>
<p>
Beginning Monday, visitors to <a href="http://welcometothefollowing.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">The Following&rsquo;s Tumblr page</a> will be prompted to visit A Chamber Door, a new site designed to let viewers experience the cult of Joe Carroll firsthand. In a special video message, the charismatic killer (portrayed by actor James Purefoy) promises to &ldquo;teach people to discover their own greatness,&rdquo; adding that his job as a teacher is to &ldquo;help people become part of something bigger than they are.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
All of which sounds fairly benign until you remember that Carroll&rsquo;s modus operandi is to recruit suggestible young acolytes to serve as foot soldiers in his army of mass murderers. (Some people join book clubs, some people go on kill-crazy rampages at the behest of a &ldquo;Raven&rdquo;-quoting sociopath. Name your poison.)</p>
<p>
Take the man up on his offer to contact him via afriend@achamberdoor.com,&nbsp;and in short order a reply will slither its way into your in-box.</p>
<p>
It&rsquo;s an impressively creepy set-up. Without giving up the entire gimmick, suffice it to say that as a friend-in-waiting, you&rsquo;ll need to answer a few questions. Among these: &ldquo;What do you know about JOE CARROLL?&rdquo;</p>
<p>
The note ends by informing the recipient that there is &ldquo;no need to reply to this email at this time,&rdquo; and that &ldquo;New Friends will be contacted very soon.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
As a bonus Easter Egg, the chamber door email includes a link to a <a href="http://www.7912551654469.com/" target="_blank">URL</a> that appears to be a string of random numbers but is actually a call-back to a code introduced in an earlier episode of The Following. Mosey on over to that site and bask in some more ghastly iconography; a judicious click of the mouse during Carroll&rsquo;s recitation of &ldquo;The Raven&rdquo; leads to a video that cribs pretty liberally from Poe&rsquo;s hemorrhagic short story <a href="http://www.online-literature.com/poe/36/" target="_blank">&ldquo;The Masque of the Red Death.&rdquo;</a></p>
<p>
Every twist in the Tumblr journey is remarkably creepy, and there&rsquo;s a sort of authenticity at play that one wouldn&rsquo;t necessarily associate with a broadcast promotional effort. &ldquo;As the show progressed, we&rsquo;ve been using Tumblr as a means to talk to fans in an organic way,&rdquo; said Robin Benty, Fox&rsquo;s senior director of current programming and digital scripted brands. &ldquo;Using Tumblr as the platform for this has allowed us to make the experience creepy and cool. It doesn&rsquo;t look and feel like just another overt marketing campaign.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
As Following fans dig into the material seeded throughout the Tumblr page, an already engaging linear TV series becomes a wholly immersive experience.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
Another factor in Benty and svp of digital media William Bradford&rsquo;s favor is that they didn&rsquo;t simply hire a marketing pro to script the transmedia elements. Writer <a href="https://twitter.com/labfly" target="_blank">Jan Libby</a>&rsquo;s c.v. includes everything from alternate-reality gaming to the Lonelygirl15 series; as Benty notes, Libby&rsquo;s visual arts background (Cal College of the Arts, ICA Boston) make her especially suited to crafting links between a linear narrative and multimedia storytelling.</p>
<p>
Bradford said the Tumblr page has gathered disciples steadily from week to week. At present, visitors to the site number in the tens of thousands. &ldquo;All of what we&rsquo;re doing with Tumblr has been done in conjunction with showrunner Kevin Williamson and Warner Bros. TV,&rdquo; Bradford said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s really an opportunity for us to extend the palette of the show. It&rsquo;s not just a tune-in vehicle.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
The Following airs Monday at 9 p.m. on Fox. After premiering on Jan. 21 to <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/fox-carves-big-ratings-following-146701" target="_blank">10.4 million viewers and a 3.2 rating</a> in the adults 18-49 demo, the Kevin Bacon vehicle remains one of the strongest new series of 2012-13, averaging 8.18 million viewers and a 2.7 in the dollar demo.</p>
<p>
Fox <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/fox-renews-following-new-girl-mindy-project-raising-hope-147694" target="_blank">renewed</a> The Following for a second season (15 episodes) on March 4. The Season 1 finale airs April 29.</p>
Advertising & BrandingTelevisionInteractive2012-13 Broadcast TV SeasonEdgar Allan PoeFoxJames PurefoyKevin BaconKevin WilliamsonNetworksRatingsThe FollowingTransmediaTumblrFri, 12 Apr 2013 20:06:52 +0000148563 at http://www.adweek.comFox Carves Up Big Ratings With The Following http://www.adweek.com/news/television/fox-carves-big-ratings-following-146701
Anthony Crupi<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/fox-following-kevin-bacon-hed-2013.jpg"> <p>
The series premiere of the Fox serial-killer drama <em>The Following</em> put up strong numbers on Monday night, beating its time slot predecessor by a whopping 113 percent.</p>
<p>
According to Nielsen live-plus-same-day data, <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/networks-hope-find-following-145342" target="_blank"><em>The Following</em></a> scared up 10.4 million viewers and a 3.2 in the adults 18-49 time slot, doubling the deliveries of the previous 9 p.m. Monday placeholder, <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/lights-are-out-and-everybody-s-home-143808" target="_blank"><em>The Mob Doctor</em></a> (5.11 million viewers, 1.5 in the demo).</p>
<p>
Starring Kevin Bacon as a boozy former FBI agent called in to help track down a remorseless sociopath (James Purefoy), <em>The Following</em> now boasts the second-highest rating for a drama premiere in 2012-13. Only NBC&rsquo;s <em>Revolution</em> (11.7 million, 4.1 in the demo) bowed to bigger numbers.</p>
<p>
That said, <a href="http://www.fox.com/the-following/" target="_blank">Fox&rsquo;s new series</a> failed to outdeliver its midseason premiere of a year ago. On Monday, Jan. 16, 2012, <em>Alcatraz</em> drew a 3.3 rating in the same time slot. The show dropped to a 1.5 in the demo by the end of its 11-episode run.</p>
<p>
While <em>The Following</em> was undoubtedly given a lift by a heavy promotional schedule&mdash;Fox ran a number of teasers for the show during its NFC Divisional Playoff series and the NFC Championship Game&mdash;the newcomer was not the beneficiary of a particularly strong lead-in. In the 8 p.m. slot, <em>Bones</em> averaged 8.47 million viewers and a fourth-place 2.3 in the demo.</p>
<p>
On the bright side, <em>The Following</em> grew its lukewarm lead-in by 39 percent among the under-50 set.</p>
<p>
The half-hour averages suggest that viewers who came to sample <em>The Following</em> were riveted to their seats. In fact, the overall deliveries did not change from one half hour to the next&mdash;the 10.4 million viewers who tuned in at the top of the hour remained locked in through the closing credits. Moreover, the demo inched up one-tenth of a point between the 9-9:30 p.m. slot and 9:30-10 p.m.</p>
<p>
Despite its pitch-black pilot&mdash;series creator Kevin Williamson wasn&rsquo;t shy about <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/fox-force-five-fistful-midseason-replacements-awaits-146540" target="_blank">splashing gallons of red corn syrup all over the set</a>&mdash;<em>The Following</em> has been a marketplace darling since the 2012-13 upfront. TV buyers estimate that the show commanded the highest unit cost of any new series in the spring bazaar, as Fox was able to fetch approximately $195,000 for each 30-second spot. By comparison, early investors in <em>Revolution</em> ponied up a mere $90,000 per spot, according to SQAD NetCosts data.</p>
<p>
For the two other midseason efforts on the Monday night schedule, the news was far from encouraging. After debuting to a mere 1.61 million viewers and a 0.6 in the demo,<em> The Carrie Diaries </em>(the CW) fell to 1.27 million and a 0.8 in the target demo (women 18-34). Meanwhile, the third installment of NBC&rsquo;s sudsy procedural, <a href="http://www.nbc.com/deception/" target="_blank"><em>Deception</em></a>,&nbsp;finished last in its 10 p.m. slot, averaging 3.61 million viewers and a 1.3 in the demo, down 35 percent from the 2.0 rating notched in its Jan. 7 series opener.</p>
<p>
While Fox made the biggest splash of the night, CBS ran the table with its two-hour comedy block and <em>Hawaii Five-O</em>. Per Nielsen, CBS averaged 10.3 million viewers and a 3.0 in the demo to Fox&rsquo;s 9.43 million/2.8.</p>
Television2012-13 TV Season2012-13 UpfrontAlcatrazBonesBroadcast RatingsDeceptionFoxJames PurefoyKevin BaconKevin WilliamsonNbcNetworksPrime timeRatingsRatingsThe Carrie DiariesThe CWThe FollowingThe Mob DoctorUpfrontTue, 22 Jan 2013 21:21:10 +0000146701 at http://www.adweek.comFox Force Five: A Fistful of Midseason Replacements Awaitshttp://www.adweek.com/news/television/fox-force-five-fistful-midseason-replacements-awaits-146540
Anthony Crupi<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/fox-following-kevin-bacon-hed-2013.jpg"> <p>
For television executives, hope often springs eternal in the dead of winter. While the 2012-13 development slate largely has been forgettable, what with its <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/nbc-puts-animal-practice-sleep-144559" target="_blank">primate veterinarians</a>, <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/devil-details-144108" target="_blank">demonic Upper East Siders</a> and <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/networks-lay-rotten-eggs-144076" target="_blank">mobbed-up surgical residents</a>, at least a few midseason newcomers suggest the season may not prove to be a total wash.<br />
<br />
As we&rsquo;ve established in <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/sleeper-agent-146446">this week&rsquo;s cover story</a>, the upcoming FX drama <em>The Americans</em> is Adweek&rsquo;s pick for the must-see new series of the spring semester. That said, there are a handful of other contenders that look promising. Presented in order of relative merit are five freshman series that could command a starring role in your DVR queue.</p>
<p>
<strong><em>The Following</em></strong> (Fox)&mdash;Premieres Monday, Jan. 21 at 9 p.m.</p>
<p>
Darker than the inky black shadow cast by the feathers of a raven&rsquo;s wing, this Kevin Williamson psychodrama is as <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/networks-hope-find-following-145342" target="_blank">grim and gruesome</a> as anything on cable. In his first TV role, Kevin Bacon stars as a boozy former Fed who is dragged back into the crime-and-punishment game when the serial killer he put away 10 years ago (James Purefoy) escapes from death row.</p>
<p>
While not for the faint of heart&mdash;the Poe-obsessed killer boasts about his role in an involuntary double enucleation by purring that it&rsquo;s no easy chore to sever each of the seven muscles that anchor the human eyeball in the socket&mdash;<em>The Following</em> marks Fox&rsquo;s best shot at a Monday hit since Dr. Gregory House hung up his scrubs.</p>
<p>
Despite the show&rsquo;s Grand Guignol trappings, the marketplace appears taken with <em>The Following</em>. In fact, the series was afforded most-favored nation status during the spring upfront period, commanding the highest unit cost of any new series ($195,000 per 30-second spot).</p>
<p>
<strong><em>The Carrie Diaries</em></strong> (The CW)&mdash;Premiered Monday, Jan. 14 at 8 p.m.</p>
<p>
Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider, Bruce Wayne was orphaned by a common street thug and Doc Banner was exposed to a whole mess of cell-altering gamma rays. These are what are known in the comics game as &ldquo;origin stories,&rdquo; and now the CW is rolling out a similar creation myth for Manhattan&rsquo;s favorite mortal superheroine, Carrie Bradshaw.</p>
<p>
Billed as a prequel to HBO&rsquo;s <em>Sex and the City</em>, <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/omfg-cw-shakes-prime-time-roster-140606" target="_blank"><em>The Carrie Diaries</em></a> stars AnnaSophia Robb as the 16-year-old incarnation of Sarah Jessica Parker&rsquo;s columnist-cum-fashionista. The pilot appears to have been cooked up in a lab expressly for the CW&rsquo;s longstanding target demo (women 18-34), and Robb does a fine job of balancing fun (clothes! clubs! canoodling!) and pathos (Carrie&rsquo;s mother only recently has passed away and her doting dad is overcompensating for her loss).&nbsp;</p>
<p>
Buyers who invested in <em>The Carrie Diaries</em> during the 2012-13 upfront paid north of $40,000 per :30, a price that&rsquo;s of a piece with much of the network&rsquo;s female-friendly fare. (Having expanded its reach to include a cohort of younger male viewers, the CW was able to wrangle particularly strong pricing for its fall drama <em>Arrow</em>. With an average unit cost of approximately $65,000 a pop, the high-flying <em>Arrow</em> is currently the most valuable property on the CW.)</p>
<p>
<strong><em>House of Cards </em></strong>(Netflix)&mdash;Premieres Friday, Feb. 1</p>
<p>
Netflix pulled the rug out from under HBO, outbidding the premium cable giant by committing $100 million for the rights to stream 26 installments of what may well be the season&rsquo;s most star-studded drama. Adapted from a 1990 BBC political thriller by director David Fincher (<em>Fight Club</em>, <em>The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo</em>, <em>The Social Network</em>), <em>House of Cards</em> marks the first original drama series to be commissioned by Netflix. Joining Kevin Spacey in this Beltway potboiler are Robin Wright, Kate Mara and Constance Zimmer.</p>
<p>
Netflix will make all 13 episodes of the first season of <em>House of Cards</em> available on Feb. 1. Season 2 is set to begin shooting in the second quarter of this year.</p>
<p>
Netflix closed out the third quarter of 2012 with 25.1 million U.S. subscribers to its streaming-video service, a gain of just 1.16 million versus the year-ago period. And while media buyers may want to cozy up to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6wytrQo-UE" target="_blank">Fincher&rsquo;s stew of sex, politics and intrigue</a>, Netflix continues to resist the siren song of the ad-supported model, depending instead on its $7.99 monthly sub fee. But the cost of the service&rsquo;s numerous content deals is far from cheap, and some analysts predict the company will have to raise its rates if it refuses to create a new sponsor-backed tier.</p>
<p>
<strong><em>Do No Harm</em></strong> (NBC)&mdash;Premieres Thursday, Jan. 31 at 10 p.m.</p>
<p>
A postmodern reboot of the Jekyll and Hyde story,<em> Do No Harm</em> stars <em>Rescue Me</em> vet Steven Pasquale as Dr. Jason Cole, a neurosurgeon who assumes an alternate personality every night at 8:25 p.m. Like a particularly self-destructive drunk, Cole&rsquo;s alter ego spends all of his waking hours scheming to screw up the good doctor&rsquo;s life.</p>
<p>
While the material may be a bit musty&mdash;Robert Louis Stevenson first published his famed novella in 1886&mdash;Pasquale gives <em>Do No Harm</em> a fighter&rsquo;s chance. The actor is particularly riveting when he embodies the surgeon&rsquo;s dark side, and the shift change from the hospital setting to a seedier criminal milieu makes this split-personality series seem like an uneasy melding of the medical and procedural genres.</p>
<p>
Moreover, familiarity doesn&rsquo;t necessarily breed discontent&hellip;or at least not on broadcast TV. Another Victorian-era franchise was given the 21st Century treatment this fall when CBS bowed the Sherlock Holmes drama, <em>Elementary</em>. Since premiering on Sept. 27, <em>Elementary</em> has been the most-watched new drama of 2012-13, averaging 10.9 million live-plus-same-day viewers and a 3.3 rating in CBS&rsquo; target 25-54 demo.</p>
<p>
<em>Elementary</em> will go head-to-head with <em>Do No Harm</em>, once the latter replaces NBC&rsquo;s news program, <em>Rock Center With Brian Williams</em>.</p>
<p>
As with so many other new series, NBC is offering a free preview of <em>Do No Harm</em> online. Those wishing to get an early look at the show can stream the pilot at <a href="http://www.hulu.com/watch/444934" target="_blank">Hulu</a> and <a href="http://www.nbc.com/do-no-harm/video/pilot/n31444/" target="_blank">NBC.com</a>.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
<strong><em>Zero Hour</em></strong> (ABC)&mdash;Premieres Thursday, Feb. 14 at 8 p.m.</p>
<p>
On the surface, this time-traveling ode to paranoia and conspiracy seems like something Thomas Pynchon might scribble down after a particularly heady dose of&nbsp;psilocybin mushrooms. Starring Anthony Edwards in his first full-blown TV gig since <em>ER</em>&rsquo;s Dr. Mark Greene flatlined in 2002, <a href="http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/zero-hour" target="_blank"><em>Zero Hour</em></a> is as nearly as overstuffed as <em>Gravity&rsquo;s Rainbow</em>, featuring a shadowy religious sect, a M&ouml;bius strip of a time line, a series of antique clocks that harbor mankind&rsquo;s most enduring secrets and a cadre of diabolical Nazis. (As if there were any other kind.)</p>
<p>
Speaking last week at the Television Critics Association winter press tour, series creator Paul Scheuring (<em>Prison Break</em>) assured curious onlookers that he would not leave Edwards and his co-star, Jacinda Barrett, hanging as do so many other episodic series when the showrunner wants to crank up the suspense. The Nazis will be dealt with in the 13th and final episode of this season, Scheuring said, adding that if <em>Zero Hour</em> is renewed, he&rsquo;ll re-set the clock each season, a la <em>24</em>.</p>
<p>
<em>Zero Hour</em> replaces the disappointing newbie <em>Last Resort</em>, which plummeted to a 1.0 rating in the 18-49 demo shortly after <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/elementary-my-dear-nielsen-144071" target="_blank">debuting to an unspectacular 2.2 rating</a> on Sept. 27. ABC canceled the Andre Braugher drama on Nov. 16. It faces a competitive set of shows that includes the CBS comedies <em>The Big Bang Theory</em> and <em>Two and a Half Men</em> and Fox&rsquo;s <em>American Idol </em>results show.&nbsp;</p>
Television2012-13 TV Season2012-13 UpfrontAbcAnthony EdwardsCbsDavid FincherDo No HarmElementaryFoxFXHboHouse of CardsKevin BaconKevin SpaceyNbcNetflixNetworksRatingsSex and the CitySteven PasqualeThe AmericansThe Carrie DiariesThe CWThe FollowingUpfrontZero HourTue, 15 Jan 2013 11:11:34 +0000146540 at http://www.adweek.comReilly Upped to Entertainment Chairman at Foxhttp://www.adweek.com/news/television/reilly-upped-entertainment-chairman-fox-143009
Anthony Crupi<p>
On the eve of a new TV season, Fox Broadcasting programming chief Kevin Reilly has been elevated to chairman of entertainment.</p>
<p>
Effective immediately, Reilly will assume oversight of all programming for Fox, adding the alternative/reality division to his scripted palette. The five-year Fox vet also will steer digital,&nbsp;scheduling, marketing, research and business affairs.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
Reilly&rsquo;s promotion comes a month after <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/peter-rice-named-head-fox-networks-group-142131" target="_blank">Peter Rice was named chairman and CEO of Fox Networks Group</a>. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, although it is believed that Reilly has signed on through at least 2015.</p>
<p>
&ldquo;Kevin is a uniquely gifted executive with the strong strategic vision and creative instincts to ensure that Fox continues to drive the future of our industry,&rdquo; Rice said, by way of announcing the move. &ldquo;We are incredibly fortunate to have him here and thrilled he will be with us for many more years.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
Reilly previously served as the network&rsquo;s entertainment president. He joined Fox in 2007, rebounding swiftly from his ouster at NBC.&nbsp;(Letting Reilly go and replacing him with the callow Reveille founder Ben Silverman turned out to be one of former NBCUniversal chief Jeff Zucker&rsquo;s more myopic moves.)</p>
<p>
Under Reilly, Fox has maintained bragging rights in the all-important ratings race, claiming the adults 18-to-49 demo in each of the last five seasons. Per Nielsen, Fox closed out the 2011-12 campaign with an average 3.2 rating in the demo, edging CBS by two-tenths of a point.</p>
<p>
Reilly notched one of his biggest hits with last season&rsquo;s freshman comedy <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/fox-gives-new-girl-first-full-season-pickup-135306" target="_blank"><em>New Girl</em></a>. With an average 4.2 rating in the demo, the Zooey Deschanel vehicle was the No. 2 new TV series on the dial, trailing only CBS&rsquo; <em>2 Broke Girls</em> (4.4).</p>
<p>
The success of <em>New Girl</em> encouraged Fox to double down on live-action comedy, a genre that has played second fiddle to the network&rsquo;s animated roster (<em>The Simpsons</em>, <em>Family Guy</em>, et al). On Oct. 2, Fox will take the wraps off a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h38AcX10CcA" target="_blank">two-hour, live-action comedy block</a> featuring returning series <em>Raising Hope</em> and <em>New Girl</em>, and newcomers <em>Ben and Kate</em> and <em>The Mindy Project</em>.</p>
<p>
Created by and starring <em>The Office</em> alum Mindy Kaling, <a href="http://www.fox.com/the-mindy-project/" target="_blank"><em>The Mindy Project</em> </a>was snapped up by Reilly shortly after NBC passed on the pilot in January.</p>
<p>
Also on deck for Fox is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8H4ewQzKFM" target="_blank"><em>The Following</em></a>, a pitch-black psychological thriller starring Kevin Bacon that shares some genetic material with the series that perhaps best defines Reilly&rsquo;s early days as a programmer.&nbsp;Before joining NBC in May 2004, Reilly served as the entertainment president of FX, where he helped establish ad-supported cable as a destination for original fare with uncompromising dramas like <em>The Shield</em> and <em>Nip/Tuck</em>.</p>
TelevisionBen and KateBen SilvermanFamily GuyFoxFox BroadcastingFXJeff ZuckerKevin BaconKevin ReillyMindy KalingNbcNBCUniversalNetworksNew GirlNews Corp.Nip/TuckPeter RiceRaising HopeRatingsRealityThe FollowingThe Mindy ProjectThe ShieldThe SimpsonsZooey DeschanelMon, 20 Aug 2012 21:27:27 +0000143009 at http://www.adweek.com